SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:13
Entre tanto que voy, ocpate en leer, en exhortar, en ensear.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Timothy 4:13
Verse 13. Give attendance to reading] Timothy could easily comprehend the apostle's meaning; but at present this is not so easy. What books does the apostle mean? The books of the Old Testament were probably what he intended; these testified of Jesus, and by these he could either convince or confound the Jews. But, whether was the reading of these to be public or private? Probably both. It was customary to read the law and the prophets in the synagogue, and doubtless in the assemblies of the Christians; after which there was generally an exhortation founded upon the subject of the prophecy. Hence the apostle says: Give attendance to reading, to EXHORTATION, to DOCTRINE. Timothy was therefore to be diligent in reading the sacred writings at home, that he might be the better qualified to read and expound them in the public assemblies to the Christians, and to others who came to these public meetings. As to other books, there were not many at that time that could be of much use to a Christian minister. In those days the great business of the preacher was to bring forward the grand facts of Christianity, to prove these, and to show that all had happened according to the prediction of the prophets; and from these to show the work of God in the heart, and the evidence of that work in a holy life.
At present the truth of God is not only to be proclaimed, but defended; and many customs or manners, and forms of speech, which are to us obsolete, must be explained from the writings of the ancients, and particularly from the works of those who lived about the same times, or nearest to them, and in the same or contiguous countries. This will require the knowledge of those languages in which those works have been composed, the chief of which are Hebrew and Greek, the languages in which the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments have been originally written.
Latin is certainly of the next consequence; a language in which some of the most early comments have been written; and it is worth the trouble of being learned, were it only for the sake of the works of St. Jerome, who translated and wrote a commentary on the whole of the Scriptures; though in many respects it is both erroneous and superficial.
Arabic and Syriac may be added with great advantage: the latter being in effect the language in which Christ and his apostles spoke and preached in Judea; and the former being radically the same with the Hebrew, and preserving many of the roots of that language, the derivatives of which often occur in the Hebrew Bible, but the roots never.
The works of various scholars prove of how much consequence even the writings of heathen authors, chiefly those of Greece and Italy, are to the illustration of the sacred writings. And he who is best acquainted with the sacred records will avail himself of such helps, with gratitude both to God and man. Though so many languages and so much reading are not absolutely necessary to form a minister of the Gospel, (for there are many eminent ministers who have not such advantages,) yet they are helps of the first magnitude to those who have them and know how to use them.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 13. Till I come , etc.] To Ephesus; where the apostle hoped to be shortly, but was prevented; he afterwards came to Miletus, and sent for the elders of Ephesus thither, when he took his final leave of them. He mentions this circumstance, not as if Timothy was to attend to the following things no longer, but to quicken him to an attendance to them from the consideration of his being shortly with him. Give attendance to reading ; that is, of the Scriptures, which the Jews call arqm , reading. f59 Says R. Tanchum Bar Chanilai, for ever let a man divide his years or life into three parts; one third (let him spend) in the Mikra, (the Scriptures, and the reading of them,) another third in the Misna, and the other third in the Talmud.
And this is to be understood, not of the reading of the Scriptures in public, for the advantage of others, a custom which obtained in the Jewish synagogues; (see Acts 13:15 15:21) but in private, for his own use and service, that he might be more perfect, and more thoroughly furnished to the work and office to which he was called; for the Scriptures are the fund of spiritual knowledge, as well as the test and standard of doctrine, out of which all must be fetched, and by which it must be tried; and if Timothy, who had known the Scriptures from a child, had been trained up in them, and was always conversant with them, had need to give diligent attention to the reading of them, then much more others: as also to exhortation, to doctrine ; as he was privately to read the Scriptures, for his own benefit, he was publicly to expound them, or preach from them, to the advantage of others; for these two, exhortation and doctrine, are branches of the ministerial work, which reading furnishes and qualifies for. Exhortation intends the stirring up of believers to the exercise of grace, and the discharge of duty; and is a considerable part of the work of the ministry, and on which a minister of Christ should much insist; and it becomes the saints to suffer every word of exhortation from them, and receive it kindly, 2 Timothy 4:2 Romans 12:8. Hebrews 13:22 .
The word signifies also consolation, and which is another branch of the ministry. Believers are oftentimes disconsolate through the prevalence of corruptions, the power of Satan's temptations, and the hidings of God's face, and need comfort; when the ministers of the Gospel should be Barnabases, sons of consolation, and should speak comfortably to them; for which they are qualified by the God of all comfort, who comforts them in all their tribulations, that they might be capable of speaking good and comfortable words to others. Doctrine designs the teaching and instructing of the church in the mysteries of the Gospel; opening and explaining the truths of it; defending them against all opposers, and refuting errors and heresies contrary to them. This is the evangelic Talmud; and these three, reading, exhortation, and doctrine, may answer to the above three things the Jew advises men to divide their time among, the Mikra, Misna, and Talmud: reading answers to the Mikra, and indeed is no other; and exhortation to the Misna, or oral law; and doctrine to the Talmud, and which also that word signifies: but the apostle would have Timothy spend his time in, and give his attention to that which might be truly beneficial to himself, and profitable unto others.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 11-16 - Men's youth will not be despised, if they keep from vanities an follies. Those who teach by their doctrine, must teach by their life Their discourse must be edifying; their conversation must be holy; the must be examples of love to God and all good men, examples of spiritual-mindedness. Ministers must mind these things as their principal work and business. By this means their profiting will appea in all things, as well as to all persons; this is the way to profit in knowledge and grace, and also to profit others. The doctrine of minister of Christ must be scriptural, clear, evangelical, an practical; well stated, explained, defended, and applied. But thes duties leave no leisure for wordly pleasures, trifling visits, or idl conversation, and but little for what is mere amusement, and onl ornamental. May every believer be enabled to let his profiting appea unto all men; seeking to experience the power of the gospel in his ow soul, and to bring forth its fruits in his life __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
εως 2193 ερχομαι 2064 5736 προσεχε 4337 5720 τη 3588 αναγνωσει 320 τη 3588 παρακλησει 3874 τη 3588 διδασκαλια 1319
Vincent's NT Word Studies
13. To reading (anagnwsei). Three times in N.T. See Acts xiii. 15; 2 Corinthians iii. 14. The verb ajnaginwskein usually of public reading. See on Luke iv. 16. So in LXX. In post - classical Greek, sometimes of reading aloud with comments. See Epictetus, Diss. 3, 23, 20. Dr. Hatch says: "It is probable that this practice of reading with comments... may account for the coordination of 'reading' with 'exhortation' and 'teaching' in 1 Timothy iv. 13."
Exhortation (th paraklhsei). Often in Paul. See on consolation, Luke vi. 24, comfort, Acts ix. 31, and comforter, John xiv. 16.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:13 {Till I come} (hews ercomai). "While I am coming" (present indicative with hews), not "till I come" (hews elqw). {Give heed} (prosece). Present active imperative, supply ton noun, "keep on putting thy mind on." {The reading} (tei anagnwsei). Old word from anaginwskw. See #2Co 3:14. Probably in particular the public reading of the Scriptures (#Ac 13:15), though surely private reading is not to be excluded. {To exhortation} (tei paraklesei), {to teaching} (tei didaskaliai). Two other public functions of the minister. Probably Paul does not mean for the exhortation to precede the instruction, but the reverse in actual public work. Exhortation needs teaching to rest it upon, a hint for preachers today.
